Divorce Lawyer Has Sex With Client, Bills Her for Services Rendered
Minnesota's Supreme Court last week barred attorney Thomas P. Lowe from practicing law for at least the next 15 months after it was revealed that he was billing a client for sex.
Lowe, who runs a private practice in Burnsville, was approached in August 2011 by an acquaintance who asked him to represent her in a divorce.
Their attorney-client relationship soon evolved into a sexual one, but, as the Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility heard last summer, Lowe maintained his professionalism throughout the affair — going so far as to bill the woman for the time they spent having sex.
In March of last year, Lowe, a married man, terminated both their legal and extralegal relationships within the span of two days. The woman, already vulnerable due to past abuse, attempted to commit suicide and was hospitalized.
It was then that she revealed the nature of her meetings with Lowe.
After denying the allegations for several months, court records show Lowe eventually came clean.
Lowe was previously on probation for purchasing cocaine from a client. He can reapply for a law license in 15 months.
